


Tuesday

by rabbithole26



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 09:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4173924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rabbithole26/pseuds/rabbithole26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she tells Keana about her past with Camila, the other girl isn’t even fazed. She’s fine with them being friends, too. Camila’s talked to some guys here and there, but nothing has ever gotten very serious for her. But she’s trying, so she starts talking to Lauren more. They have their own, separate love lives now, so it shouldn’t be weird between them anymore. And for a while, it isn’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tuesday

Lauren Jauregui is seventeen when she realizes that the most monumental moments in her life seem to always happen on Tuesdays. It started when she was younger, it was things like losing her first tooth, getting her braces on, then getting her braces removed, and winning her first softball tournament. It was just little things.

 

Until Lauren got older and the tradition continued, except the events that happened on that day of the week got significantly more important.

 

...

 

Lauren tried out for The X Factor on a Tuesday. She kissed Camila Cabello for the first time on a Tuesday. Fifth Harmony got signed to a major record label on a Tuesday.

 

All of those things would be incredible if they had happened independently, just once, but when you throw them all together, things get a little tricky. That’s what Lauren learned very quickly once she realized that she was going to be professionally tied to Camila for, well, a _long_ time.

 

It’s not like things had gotten serious between them yet. Hell, they had only kissed a handful of times when they got the news that they were getting signed. It wasn’t like Camila was her girlfriend. They were just...really close. The most logical thing for them to do was forget any of this _kissing_ business, to just contribute it to raging teenage hormones, and go back to being best friends. Normal, platonic, best friends. At least that’s what Lauren said to Camila, that’s what Lauren said when she pretended that it didn’t really matter to her, when she pretended that deep down this wasn’t going to absolutely kill her.

 

Camila took it pretty well. She understood that this was their _dream_ and that putting any added strain to their professional relationship was just asking for trouble, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Camila didn’t cut Lauren out completely, but she sure kept her distance. After that, Camila and Lauren were friendly, but could hardly even consider themselves true friends anymore. They still knew most of the details of each other’s lives, but that was only because the group was constantly together, so they would overhear the other talking to Dinah or Normani frequently. They hardly ever directly addressed each other.

 

_Shit happens_ , Lauren would tell herself, _it’s not the end of the world_.

 

...

 

Almost a year later, Lauren meets Keana on a Tuesday.

 

They click instantly, and although they still have to keep their relationship on the down low, Lauren doesn’t hide the fact that they are dating around any of the other girls or management. Keana likes everything Lauren likes, she dresses how Lauren dresses, so Lauren thinks they’re probably perfect for each other.

 

When she tells Keana about her past with Camila, the other girl isn’t even fazed. She’s fine with them being friends, too. Lauren likes that about her, she doesn’t seem to ever see anyone else as a threat. It makes things easy.

 

Camila’s talked to some guys here and there, but nothing has ever gotten very serious for her. But she’s trying, so she starts talking to Lauren more. They have their own, separate love lives now, so it shouldn’t be weird between them anymore. And for a while, it isn’t.

 

...

 

When the band flies to Australia they land on February 14th, around three o’clock in the afternoon, which makes it nine o’clock at night back in the states. Lauren promised Keana that she would Skype her as soon as they get to the hotel since they don’t have any appearances until tomorrow, you know, with it being Valentines Day and all. Lauren’s bag barely hits the floor in the room she’s sharing with Normani when suddenly Camila appears at the door, and Lauren can already tell she’s on a mission.

 

“Will you _please_ come to the beach with me?” she asks, sandals already on her feet and sunglasses perched on top of her head.

 

“Right now?” the older girl questions, gesturing to her still unpacked bags.

 

“Please. The sun will go down in like two hours, max. We won’t have time to go any other day and I need it. I miss it,” Camila dramatically places her hand over her heart, “Dinah and Normani want to nap and Ally has disappeared. You’re my only hope.”

 

Lauren doesn’t know if it’s the fact that Camila hasn’t asked her to hang out alone in months that makes her say yes, or if it’s the fact that she’s really missed the beach too, or if it’s those damn puppy eyes that she’s getting right now. Whatever it is, Lauren chuckles as she agrees and heads down to the beach, her laptop untouched in her bag.

 

...

 

Three hours later, Lauren’s thankful that Normani “naps” with earplugs in as she dials Keana on Skype. It’s probably one in the morning in Los Angeles at this point and Lauren feels slightly guilty that she didn’t call earlier. But, hell, she’s in freaking Australia, so she should be making the most of it, right? Plus, she had a really good time with Camila and she’s starting to realize just how much she has missed her friendship with the other girl. No one else makes her laugh quite like the other Cuban can.

 

Lauren is snapped out of her thoughts when the face of her girlfriend appears on her laptop.

 

“Hi, Happy Valentine’s Day,” Lauren tries, but she immediately realizes that the other girl is _pissed_.

 

“It’s not Valentine’s Day here anymore, but nice try,” Keana responds icily.

 

Lauren sighs, “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t get call you the second I landed, things were hectic with everyone and –“

 

“And you went to the beach,” the other girl finishes for her.

 

“How do you know that?” Lauren asks, confused.

 

“There were paparazzi on you the whole time, they must really love you guys over there. One of my friends sent me some of the pictures randomly.”

 

There’s a long pause, the real issue unspoken, so Lauren decides to vocalize it, “Are you mad that I was with Camila?”

 

“No, it’s just Valentine’s Day and I was waiting to hear from you, and then I see that you’re frolicking on the beach and,” Keana pauses for a minute, rubbing her temple slowly, “I just miss you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bitch right off the bat. I’m not mad, I swear, you know _that_ doesn’t bother me.”

 

“It’s okay, I understand. I’m sorry, I wasn’t really thinking, this jetlag has me forgetting what day it is,” Lauren responds sincerely.

 

The girl on the other side of the screen yawns, “I hate to be lame, but I am absolutely exhausted. Do you mind if I go to bed? I can try to call you tomorrow night if that works?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Night, K.”

 

Lauren slowly shuts her laptop, thinking about how that’s the closest thing to jealous she’s ever seen her girlfriend get. Not that she was actually jealous, because like she said, she’s not worried about Camila, but she certainly wasn’t happy at the beginning of the call.

 

Lauren’s not sure why, but it sort of bothers her that the other girl isn’t jealous of Camila. Because Camila is still very important to Lauren, no matter what their situation is. She doesn’t like the thought of anyone thinking otherwise. 

 

...

 

The girls travel to a new city the next day, which means new hotel rooms, which normally is never an issue. They head straight to an interview, followed by more press, while the hotel handles their bags and sets up their rooms. By the time they get back, it’s late, and the manager hands them their keys in the lobby and wishes them a good evening.

 

“I’m in 309, what about you?” Camila asks Dinah, assuming that they have been paired up like they usually are.

 

“I’m in 426,” Dina shrugs, following Normani towards the elevators.

 

Camila turns around confused, looking around the lobby for Ally, when Lauren speaks up.

 

“Uh, I got 309 too.”

 

“Oh,” Camila visibly swallows, “They must have not payed attention to our bags, I’ll find Ally and ask if I can switch with her,” the younger girl immediately rambles.

 

“No, it’s fine,” Lauren laughs, “Let’s go up.”

 

She knows they haven’t stayed in a room together since everything happened, but she figures that there’s no time like the present to move on from the ridiculous unspoken rule they once created.

 

“Keana won’t care?” Camila asks, but as soon as the words leave her mouth her eyes go wide. Lauren just raises an eyebrow, amused, but Camila continues, “Oh my god. I didn’t mean like, I just meant, oh my god why did I say that. I’m such an idiot.”

 

“Camz it’s fine,” Lauren’s laughing even harder now, “Come on.” She pulls the other girl by her arm over to the elevator as they head towards their room.

 

...

 

“It’s been a long time since you called me that, you know,” the younger girl says later, in a quiet voice, once they are getting ready for bed.

 

“Called you what?” Lauren questions, walking out of the bathroom.

 

“Camz.”

 

“Too long probably,” Lauren mumbles, but she’s pretty sure the other girl heard her anyways, “Look, I know we never talk about it, but I’ve missed you. I’ve missed being friends with you. I know that taking some space was kind of what we needed to do in that moment, but I think that enough time has passed that we can be okay again. You’re important to me, Camila, and I’m sorry if you ever thought that you weren’t, especially lately.”

 

Lauren turns around to face the other girl and is surprised to find that there are tears in her eyes.

 

“I’m sorry,” Camila chokes out, “I just, I’ve missed you too. And I didn’t know how to bring it up, I know you have a girlfriend and I didn’t want you to think I was trying to pull anything.”

 

The older girl pulls her into a hug, wrapping her arms around Camila tightly, “I’m here for the long haul. Don’t worry about her.”

 

Lauren tells herself that she means what she said in the friendly way, in the “bros before hoes” kind of way, but deep down she still feels that dull ache in her heart again.

 

...

 

They arrive back in the states on a Tuesday, and when Lauren finds her gaze lingering on Camila a little too long as they all part ways to enjoy a week off, she realizes that things may have just gotten more complicated than she intended.

 

It was one thing to bury the feelings she had for Camila when they were barely talking, but now, she’s starting to wonder if trying to be actual friends again was quite possibly the worst decision she ever made.

 

...

 

“Do you mind if I talk to you outside for a second? Alone?” Lauren says in a low voice, no one besides Camila hearing her due to the loud commotion of the dressing room.

 

It’s March now, the Reflection tour is in full swing, and the girls are about to do a show in LA. They’re also having an after party at the venue, partially because they all have so many friends who are in town, partially because Camila’s birthday is in two days. They don’t have another show until later in the week, and Lauren knows that she won’t see Camila again until after her birthday, so she decides that now is the best time to give her a gift.

 

It’s funny how over the past month it feels like someone has turned back time. The two girls have managed to get back to the friendship they used to have so quickly, which is something that makes Lauren regret ever losing their friendship to begin with. The two of them seem stronger when they are getting along.

 

Camila leads them to a quieter corner backstage before speaking up herself, “So what’s up?”

 

“Well, happy early birthday,” Lauren smiles, presenting the younger girl with a small black box, a tiny white bow on top of it for good measure.

 

“Lauren!” Camila squeaks, “You didn’t have to get me anything!”

 

“It’s your eighteenth, of course I did. It’s a big deal.”

 

Camila opens the box to reveal a pearl ring that looks almost identical to the one that Lauren always wears, which had been given to her by her grandmother. The younger girl just stares at the ring for a moment, unable to forms words.

 

“Uh, I know it might be kind of weird,” Lauren starts, “but you’ve always talked about how much you like my ring, and you know how special it is, so I thought I would get you your own. You know, it’s a big birthday, and we’ve been doing really well, I don’t know. Maybe it can be a special ring for you too.”

 

Lauren thinks that maybe she’s overstepped a boundary for a moment before Camila tackles her in a bone-crushing hug.

 

“Thank you,” she whispers into the older girls ear.

 

Lauren hates that those two words send shivers down her spine. She knows they shouldn’t.

 

“Uh, guys,” Normani’s voice rings out, separating the other two girls immediately, “sorry to interrupt but Camila, they need you in makeup now. And Lauren, Keana keeps asking where you are. She just showed up.”

 

Camila nods and immediately jogs back towards the dressing room, while Lauren smiles at Normani and proceeds to walk back with her.

 

They’re almost back to the room when Normani finally speaks again, “You’re going to break her heart, Lauren. Whether you intend to or not. Are you prepared to do that?”

 

Lauren frowns at her friend, “What are you talking about? We’re just friends, I swear. I would never intentionally hurt Camila.”

 

Normani smirks, shaking her head lightly before she enters the dressing room, “I wasn’t talking about Camila.”

 

There’s a pit in Lauren’s stomach that’s telling her she’s right.

 

But she ignores it anyway.

 

...

 

 

“Did you even listen to a word I just said?” Keana’s angry voice from across the table causes Lauren to finally look up and meet her gaze.

 

Okay, so maybe Lauren _had_ spent the last fifteen minutes on her phone trying to come up with an appropriate birthday message and photo to instagram for Camila today, and okay, maybe now was _not_ the right time to be doing this considering she is out at dinner with her _girlfriend_.

 

But making sure your heartfelt message isn’t taken the wrong way can be hard, okay? So Lauren threw in the word ‘friend’ a few times for good measure. Perfect.

 

“Sorry,” Lauren mutters as she posts the picture, “Okay, I’ll put my phone away now, I promise.”

 

Lauren’s still scrolling through her feed though, and Keana calls her out.

 

“Are you really on Instagram right now? That’s what you’ve been doing this whole time?”

 

Lauren sighs, “Look, I had to post something for Camz birthday. The rest of the girls put something up and if I took too long then someone would write some article about how we are fighting and the group is about to break up.”

 

Keana rolls her eyes, “Whatever, that’s fine, but can we actually enjoy the rest of this meal without our phones please?”

 

The older girl isn’t listening though, because she’s focused on the picture that Camila had just posted, showing one of her new friends (some actress named Bailee? Kailee?) kissing her cheek. Lauren doesn’t like the way her mood instantly shifts the second she see’s the photo. She doesn’t like it at all.

 

“Lauren, I swear to god if you don’t put your phone away right now I will walk out of this restaurant,” Keana tries once more, clearly more than annoyed with the situation.

 

Lauren tosses her phone into her bag before looking back up at the other girl.

 

“When did we start arguing?” she asks, genuinely concerned about the direction their relationship has started to take.

 

Her girlfriend half-heartedly shrugs her shoulders before replying, “When you came back from Australia, I guess.”

 

It’s vague on the surface, but deep down Lauren knows it’s the answer she had been dreading.

 

...

 

 

Lauren knows its bad, but she’s kind of relieved that she will be on the road for the next month because it gives her less time to argue with Keana, especially since they mostly only have the time to communicate through text messages. It’s a nice break.

 

They’re in Texas, filing back onto the tour bus, when Dinah starts to give Camila a hard time.

 

“Ooh, you’re wearing that necklace again, Mila. You _like_ Hailee don’t you!”

 

Camila blushes but shakes her head, “we’re just friends, I’ve told you that a million times.”

 

Dinah scoffs, “Yo, Lauren, don’t you think Hailee is crushing on her? She sent her all kinds of stuff for her birthday, including that necklace _and_ flowers.”

 

Lauren forces out a chuckle and shrugs her shoulders, “I have no idea, Dinah. But flowers do sound romantic.”

 

Dinah lets out a “ha!” before retreating back towards her bunk, leaving Lauren alone with Camila in the common space.

 

“You shouldn’t encourage her, she wont stop giving me shit about it,” the younger girl chuckles.

 

“Well, is it true?” Lauren asks the question she’s been dying to ask for days, “Are you two a thing?”

 

“No, we’re not,” Camila sighs, “Yes, _maybe_ Hailee wanted more, but I just can’t right now. She’s been really nice about it, though.”

 

“Is she just not your type?”

 

“That’s not it. We would be kind of perfect together, actually, we have a lot in common. She’s really nice, too. I just can’t fake some things though, and I didn’t think it would be fair to her to try,” the younger girl trails off.

 

Lauren hates that she feels an odd sense of relief at the statement. She’s about to ask for more details when Camila speaks again.

 

“Do you love her?”

 

Lauren blinks, confused, “Who?”

 

“Keana. Are you in love with her?” Camila asks, her tone almost unrecognizable to the girl standing across from her.

 

The older girl clicks her tongue, “You know, no one has ever asked me that. Not even her.”

 

“Really? You’ve been together for awhile.”

 

Lauren takes in a slow, deep breath, “I think the reason she’s never asked me that is because she doesn’t want to hear my answer. Things change once you say something out loud. You can’t take it back.”

 

“She loves _you_ , you know,” Camila mumbles, “So you should be mindful of that.”

 

“How do you know?” Lauren chuckles, “You and her aren’t exactly friends.”

 

There’s a long pause before the response comes.

 

“Because she looks at you the same way I used to look at you.

 

“You look at me now the same way you’ve always looked at me, Camz,” Lauren responds, brows furrowed in confusion.

 

The younger girl stays silent, eyes on the floor, and only then does Lauren realize the gravity of what has been said.

 

“Goodnight, Lauren,” Camila whispers, as she retreats back towards her bunk.

 

Lauren doesn’t call Keana to say goodnight, she turns her phone completely off instead.

 

...

 

Keana is in town for their Miami show, and considering most of Camila and Lauren’s family live in the area, they have a large dinner party at the Jauregui’s for everyone. Not only is Lauren exhausted but she really doesn’t want to deal with the entire situation, and when she looks across the room to find Keana and Camila chatting, she decides enough is enough and heads upstairs to her old room.

 

She studies the old photographs that cover the walls of her room until her eyes land on the one’s of her and Camila, before X factor actually aired, before their lives were completely changed. She almost wishes they had been eliminated sooner, because god, how simple things would have been after that.

 

“I don’t like being jealous, Lauren,” Keana’s voice echos from the door, and the singer turns to face her slowly.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I was trying to be nice, _for you,_ so I asked Camila where she got her ring. You know, the one that looks exactly like yours. Then she told me that you gave it to her for her birthday. Which is funny, because I could have sworn you told me you weren’t getting her anything,” Keana responds quietly.

 

Lauren doesn’t even have the energy to respond anymore. She knows that they can’t comeback from any of this, and honestly, she doesn’t really want to.

 

“I don’t _want_ to be jealous, but lately, you’ve been making it really fucking hard,” the other girl finishes.

 

“I know. I’m sorry. Maybe it’s time we stop pretending,” Lauren mumbles.

 

“Can I ask you one thing? Have you slept with her on this tour?”

 

Lauren laughs, “No. Of course not. But honestly, I’ve wanted to.”

 

Keana lets out a bitter laugh herself before slowly nodding, “At least you’re honest, I guess. Bye, Lauren.”

 

...

 

It’s actually sad how little Lauren feels when she watches the girl walk out her front door. But then again, Lauren’s been numb to her feelings for a long time now.

 

She thinks it might be time to feel again.

 

Camila finds her in her room later, as the night is winding down. Lauren is still staring at the pictures on her wall, lost in thought.

 

“We were so happy back then, weren’t we?” Lauren mumbles, pointing towards a particular picture of them. Camila doesn’t respond, but instead looks around the room.

 

“Where did Keana go?”

 

“Back to where she belongs,” Lauren replies, “which was never with me.”

 

“Oh. Are you okay?” the younger girl asks, even though Lauren can make out a hint of a smile on her face.

 

“Yeah, I am now.”

 

...

 

The rest of the tour goes off without a hitch and the girls find themselves back in LA one month later. Lauren’s never been happier. She feels free. The other girls all know that Keana is gone, but Lauren’s been in such great spirits that none of them have even bothered to ask about it.

 

They’re at the I Heart Radio awards and Lauren has her hand on Camila’s thigh when Hailee walks by them, shooting the older girl a glare.

 

“Wow, that girl must really hate me,” Lauren whispers to Camila who shoots her a disapproving, but playful glare.

 

“Be nice. She never did anything to you, you know.”

 

Lauren just smirks as Camila lifts up her legs and rests them in Lauren’s lap.

 

“Wait until she see’s this, you may end up with poison in your drink,” the younger girl whispers back as the lights dim and the show continues. Lauren decides she’ll take her chances and takes another swing of her beverage. Her hands don’t leave the other girl’s thigh for the rest of the night.

 

...

 

Lauren wakes up to a stream of light hitting her face and the smell of coffee. When she finally musters enough strength to get out of bed, she reaches for the first oversized t-shirt she finds on the floor and throws it on. Stumbling out to the kitchen, she finds Camila standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes, completely naked. Lauren smiles as she walks over to the girl, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her shoulder.

 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” the younger girl mumurs, “Chocolate chip or blueberry?”

 

“Blueberry, we have rehersal later.”

 

“Ugh, fine. You’re right.”

 

Lauren kisses Camila’s shoulder again before resting her chin on the same spot, and she can’t remember the last time she ever felt this content. She’s pretty sure she’s never experienced this feeling before.

 

“I love you,” she mumbles into Camila shoulder eliciting a chuckle from the younger girl.

 

“I love you too, Lo.”

 

A quick glance at the calendar hanging on the wall and Lauren breaks out into a wide smile.

 

It’s Tuesday.


End file.
